LATEST: Reports of chemical explosion at industrial estate

There have been reports of an explosion at an industrial estate in west Lancashire.

Former Lancashire Evening Post photographer Ian Robinson snapped this picture of plumes of smoke billowing from a unit at Burscough Industrial Estate this afternoon.

Thick black smoke is visible for some distance.

The explosion, which happened this morning, was caused by a fire which spread across several vehicles and burned through to their petrol tanks.. Police confirmed that the incident is not being treated as suspicious and that nobody was injured.